There were 2,520 households out of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were married couples living together, 18.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.0% were non-families. 10.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 19 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.7 years. Of the entire population 45.9% were male and 54.1% were female. Of those individuals age 18 and over 32.5% were male and 67.5% were female.

The median income for a household in the city was $49,121, and the median income for a family was $51,518. Approximately 16.6% of the population were below the poverty line. 14.0% of families were below the poverty line, while only 3.9% of married families were in poverty. Of those age 65 or over, 4.4% were below the poverty line.

The City of Silsbee is served by the Silsbee Independent School District, with a total of 5 schools — The John Henry Kirby Elementary School (Pre K-1), The Read-Turrentine Elementary School (2-3), The Laura Reeves Elementary (4-5), The Edwards-Johnson Memorial Silsbee Middle School (6-8), and Silsbee High School.